Policymaking in Maharashtra: A Shift from Reformist Agenda to Monetary Manipulation

• Maharashtra’s politics is at a crossroads, with the reformist agenda of electoral politics being replaced by monetary manipulations through the state apparatus.

• Monetary considerations for votes were not structurally embedded in state policy, and distribution of cash was a purely political phenomenon.

• The freebie culture routed through the state has diluted the policy process.

• In the past, reservations were considered an important strategy of underdeveloped states in the country.

• Maharashtra pioneered schemes such as the Employment Guarantee Scheme in 1972, which offered wages for work.

• However, there has been a change in policy design, indicating limited understanding of economic issues and a state of policy paralysis.

• The ruling Mahayuti coalition announced the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, allowing women aged 21 to 65 years and with an annual family income of less than ₹2.5 lakh to be eligible for this scheme.

• If politicians are unable to generate employment, it is essentially a matter of economic policy.

• Modern-day politics is built using social media and post-truth narratives, not conned to a geographical space with a proportional population.

• Women are important voters and are being wooed everywhere.

• Political parties function as agencies for the ‘consolidation of demographies’ across the population, a process that could also include changing voters’ preferences and orientations.

• A day may not be too far when voters will experience progressive deprivation and demand a solid policy aimed at improving their condition.